First day at school!

Thursday 3^rd June

Spent most of the morning catching up with my personal chores (laundry etc) and sorting out the parcels (stuck at customs) I had sent prior to flying out. In the afternoon I experimented setting up my computer in different parts of the room and balcony to hopefully get the best reception for the internet; with no battery, I am restricted to power points so if I can obtain an extension lead, there is a possibility I may be able to pick it up from the far corner of my balcony; this which would cut down on setting up in the reception each day. The manager here is very helpful and will try and get one for me. The rest of the day was absorbed preparing for my first day in school tomorrow.

Friday 4^th June - Big Day!

Arrived at reception at 08.45 catch the bus to school (haven’t said that since I was 7 J ). The school is only approximately 200 yards away but it is a safer option to use the bus, as the roads are quite steep and narrow for other road users.

Met with a volunteer couple who have been attending the school for the past week Diane and Derek; Diane is helping students with basic reading skills, Derek is assisting with the school accounting systems and helping students use joinery tools in the vocational area. The other volunteer is Cyril who is an elderly gentleman who helps the children with music; he has a vast amount of experience, has been to South Africa 7 times. Cyril is ex Navy and has brought his Bugle, as it was an easier option for transporting than his usual instrument the euphonium. I am sure Cyril will not mind me mentioning his age and although I do not know his exact age I would hazard a guess at late 70s early 80s, which I find absolutely incredible considering the conditions with the heat and workload etc. He is truly a trooper and has my full respect, definitely something for me to aspire too.

On arriving at school I was greeted by Caroline who showed me around the school while the children where carrying out their morning assembly. Today was going to be sports day as mentioned, this always depends on the whether especially from June onwards (hurricane season). I was introduced to Rodney who was very busy organising the events and setting up the sound system. Once the sports day commenced, we had a good talk about the key I can hopefully help. I think I will be quite busy during my stay here, but hey, I would not want it any other way. I told Rodney that with the nature of the work we need to put together, I may need to come back next year with my partner to continue any work needed; I think he may hold me to that! The sports day went well up to lunchtime; football was due to take place after lunch but it rained quite heavy so it was cancelled. This gave me the opportunity to meet some of the students. A student gave me a list of all the students’ names to memorise by Monday (ouch!). All the students are very welcoming and have varied levels of ability. I have organised a meeting with one student (Danny) who Rodney wants me to meet; Danny has high functioning autism and is concerned about the other students’ behaviours. I have asked Danny to write his concerns down and we will discuss these on Monday. Well that was my first day and I really enjoyed it; I even enjoyed my shower when I returned to the hotel as it is very hot and humid in the rooms of the school, looking on the bright side it will help me lose weight.